The personality of the Iranian director, who has repeatedly won numerous prestigious awards at film festivals, from the Bears of Berlin, the palm branches of the French Cannes to the American Oscar, is characterized not only by his outstanding cinematic talent, but also by his pronounced attitude to the political processes of our time.
The beginning of the creative path
Asgar Farhadi was born in the Iranian province of Isfahan on the first day of 1972. Successfully graduated from the Faculty of Cinematography of Tehran University. Before starting work on full-length projects, the beginning director filmed short films, worked with a radio company, and tried himself as a screenwriter. The script of the dramatic film “At Low Altitude” came out from under his pen in collaboration with Ebrahim Khatamikia.
The debut project of the director Asgar Farhadi - the drama Dancing in the Dust (2003) - won many prizes at film festivals, including Moscow. Farhadi's next work, the film "The Adorable City," awaited similar success. The director himself in an interview with the media claimed that for him the value of nominations and awards is to attract a greater number of viewers, which stimulates a surge of creative activity and energy.
At the peak of popularity
The films “About Ellie” and “The Divorce of Nader and Simin” brought world fame and fame to Asgar Farhadi. The staging of the first picture was highly appreciated by film critics and awarded the prizes of the Berlin Film Festival. The second drama is considered the most significant in the creative career of the director, it is marked by statuettes of the Golden Globe, Oscar and BAFTA awards.
In 2011, Asgar Farhadi was invited to be a member of the jury of the Berlin International Film Festival for outstanding services in the global film industry.
In 2013, Asgar made the first film in a foreign language - the subtle psychological history of the "Past", the premiere of which in Cannes was a triumph. The success came to the director, despite the fact that he worked with French actors, not knowing the language and using the services of a translator.
Scandalous situation with the Oscar
2016 is considered a significant milestone in the career of Asgar Farhadi. His next project, The Salesman, highly praised in Cannes, received a Golden Globe nomination and won an Oscar. This fact made the director the only living director who has won two Oscars in the category “Best Foreign Language Film”.
Unfortunately, Asgar Farhadi was not present in person at the award ceremony. At this time, the US government issued a ban on the entry into America of citizens of several countries that profess Islam. Therefore, the director said that he would not go to the United States, even if an exception were made to his film crew. In a statement, the filmmaker noted that the humiliation of some nations in an attempt to achieve security for another is an unpleasant historical phenomenon. Farhadi expressed the hope that the current situation would not lead to further disunity of the peoples.
Currently, the director is working on the creation of two films - in one, the action takes place in Iran, and in the other - abroad. At the same time, Asgar focuses on the fact that wherever he works, he is not going to change his principles.